During the 2018 season TNAQ will have a
“word of the month”. This word will coincide with
the events or focus of that month. For the month of February we
have chosen the word
Determination. On the first
day of each month we will write a short explanation of what that
word means in relation to swimming and how it can be applied this
month. We encourage you to join in and Tweet/Instagram/Facebook us
how you show determination this month by using
#TNAQDetermination. At the
end of each month we will be selecting a swimmer of the month from
each age group that best lived up to our word of the month and they
will be featured on our website for an entire
month.

Determination

Larry Hough

Determination is a positive emotional
feeling that involves persevering towards a difficult
goal in spite of obstacles. Determination occurs prior
to goal attainment and serves to motivate behavior that will help
achieve one’s goal. Recent work in positive
psychology incorporates the study of determination as a
positive emotion that pushes individuals toward action and results
in important outcomes such as perseverance and the development of
coping mechanisms. An individual experiences positive personal
growth when they are able to proactively cope with a difficult
situation. In such a case, an individual can acknowledge a
demanding situation, take action and maintain high coping
potential. More broadly, one can acknowledge the benefits of a
difficult experience yet display a willingness to put forth an
effort and achieve specific personal goals. As we head into
the championship portion of our season we want to remind our
swimmers that their goals can be achieved through their hard work,
perseverance, and race day determination.